Most Nollywood actors, actresses lead fake lives — Wale Adenuga

Wale-Adenuga

…says All not well with film industry in Nigeria

By Adeola Badru

THE chairman of Pefti Film Institute, Wale Adenuga has described the film industry in Nigeria as unprofitable, saying that things are not going on well as expected with the sector.

Adenuga, who disclosed this during the weekend in Ibadan while speaking with newsmen, however, said the Federal Government had done it best by providing loans for film making but advocated for a total restructuring of the sector.

The veteran filmmaker who spoke while opening a new Pefti institute in Ibadan, urged people to disregard the flamboyant lifestyles of some of the young actors and actresses in the industry, adding that many of them made their money outside film production.

His words: “Many people are oblivious of the fact that many of the young Nollywood actors and actresses who live flamboyant lifestyles make their money outside film making. They make people believe everything is alright in the film making.”

“You see them building big houses, living in affluence, but their source of money is beyond making the film.”

He berated lack of organised association to govern the activities of the actors and moviemakers in the industry.

“Although the average Nigerian may find this shocking but Nollywood is the only industry with no organised association to govern the activities of actors and moviemakers in the industry. 

This country cannot speak of a unified national association of filmmakers, the way that doctors talk about the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), lawyers talk about the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the gentlemen of the press have the Nigerian Union of Journalists(NUJ). It is true that Nollywood has all manners of guilds but these are all based on the sentiments.”

“One is persuaded to believe that the inability to come together under an umbrella is one of the reasons why Nollywood have some of the problems that hinder them from the development of the business in Nigeria.”